Despite not exactly being the most prominent character in the Star Wars universe, Boba Fett has spent decades as a fan favorite. He was first introduced as part of the only tolerable part of the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special, but really caught attention thanks to his small-but-significant role in both Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi. Since then his story has been expanded even further, with appearances in the prequels, and in other mediums, and in the coming months we’ll actually be seeing him again on Disney+’s The Mandalorian.
So what’s the deal with the guy? Why is he so popular? We’ve built this feature to explore those questions exactly, as we break down Boba Fett as a character via eight key things we know about him:
Boba Fett Was A Clone Of His “Father,” Jango Fett
There aren’t many notable Star Wars characters who had simple, ordinary childhoods, and Boba Fett is no exception. Rather than being born into a traditional family, he was instead created as a clone – part of a larger operation producing clones as soldiers to fight for the Galactic Federation. The owner of the DNA being cloned, a bounty hunter named Jango Fett (played by Temuera Morrison), agreed to participate on the condition that he would be permitted to raise one of the clones as his own son. Boba grew up on Kamino, and was taught by Jango the skills required for what would become his future profession.
Boba Fett Wore Mandalorian Armor, But He’s Wasn’t A Mandalorian
Boba Fett famously wore the armor of the Mandalorians – with the T-visor helmet, chest plate, and jetpack being the most recognizable pieces – but one of the biggest misconceptions about the character is that he belonged to the Mandalorian creed. Jango Fett was a Mandalorian, hence why he wore the armor, but he wasn’t actually recognized by the government of the planet Mandalore. Boba simply wore the armor to honor his father, while maintaining his own personal code while operating as a bounty hunter.
Boba Fett Had A Deep Hatred For The Jedi
You know what tends to get people really angry? Watching their parental figures get killed right in front of them. Sadly, this is part of the tale of Boba Fett, and explains why the character has a real chip on his shoulder when it comes to the knights of the Jedi order. As seen in Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones, Jango Fett involved himself in the in the battle between the battle droids and Jedi on Geonosis, and Boba watched as his father went toe-to-toe with Mace Windu. It was a battle that Jango ultimately lost, getting his head cut off with a lightsaber. Once the conflict was over, Boba took his father’s helmet and swore vengeance.
Boba Fett Tried To Assassinate Mace Windu
That whole “swearing vengeance” wasn’t just an idle threat, either. As seen on the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series, specifically the Season 2 episode “Death Trap,” Boba Fett teamed up with fellow bounty hunters Aurra Sing, Bossk, and Castas to get the job done and kill Mace Windu. As those who have seen Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith already know, this mission didn’t wind up being a success, as Emperor Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker wind up being Mace’s killers, but it helped put Boba on the path towards becoming an independent professional bounty hunter after his father’s death.
Boba Fett’s Ship Was Called Slave I
There are many awesome ship designs featured in the Star Wars universe, including from X-Wings to TIE Fighters to the legendary Millennium Falcon, but few are as beloved by fans as the vehicle flown by Boba Fett and first introduced in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The Slave I is different than most ships in that it flies upright instead of horizontally, and its paint job is similar to the one on the bounty hunter’s armor. It originally belonged to Jango Fett, who came into possession of it because he stole it, and Boba took it after his father’s death. Past the events in Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, its whereabouts are unknown.
Boba Fett Once Successfully Captured Han Solo Working For The Empire And Jabba The Hutt
Boba Fett first caught the attention of Star Wars fans because he was the lone bounty hunter who was able to track down Han Solo for the Empire in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – hiding the Slave 1 in an expulsion of garbage from a Star Destroyer and then following the Rebellion-aligned smuggler to Cloud City. It turned out to be a double win, because not only did he get a reward from the Empire, but he was also then able to take Han’s carbon-frozen body to Tatooine to collect the bounty put up by Jabba The Hutt. It was a good victory for Boba, particularly because he wouldn’t live for very long after to enjoy the spoils…
Boba Fett Died Accidentally Falling Into A Sarlacc Pit
Allow us to be blunt: Boba Fett looks like a total badass, and acts like a total badass, but he went out like a punk in Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi. While partying on Jabba’s sail barge, ready to watch the execution of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, he was totally blindsided by the captives’ ability to fight back, and wound up dying in a super embarrassing way. First his blaster got sliced in half by Luke, and then that mess was followed by a blinded Han accidentally bumping into him, causing his jetpack to malfunction. After crashing into the side of the sail barge, he then tumbled into the mouth the deadly Sarlacc.
Boba Fett Will Be Played By Temuera Morrison In The Mandalorian Season 2
Boba Fett may be dead, but that’s evidently not stopping him from making an appearance in an upcoming project that is primarily set after the events of Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi. It has been reported that Temuera Morrison will be playing the bounty hunter character in Season 2 of The Mandalorian – which is set around five years after the events in the sixth chapter of the Skywalker Saga. The casting makes sense, given the aforementioned bit about him playing Jango Fett, and the fact that Boba is a clone, but exactly how he will fit into the story is unclear. Assuming that the franchise doesn’t bring him back to life, one can presume all of his appearances will be in flashbacks.
Needless to say, we are super pumped to see the return of Boba Fett in live-action, and will be following developments with The Mandalorian Season 2 very closely. Be on the look out here on CinemaBlend for more of our coverage, and hit the comments section to tell us about your expectations for the bounty hunter’s return.
